Servas International Youth Fund

If you are interested in helping to set up the SI Youth Fund or would like to join the international group to support its development please contact Ann Greenhough at vicepresident@servas.org 

This is to be a worldwide initiative to widen opportunities for young people in Servas wherever they live in the world. It will open up the possibility for young Servas members   to be given support to join in and contribute to international Servas activities. The focus will be on those young people active in Servas who would not otherwise have enough resources of their own to take part.

The aim is to set up an independent fund which will invite donations from both national groups and individual members within Servas worldwide. The is the first step in establishing a long-term trust fund, also able to benefit from bequests from members  and to attract sponsorship from organisations outside of Servas.

History

The remit for the fund is based on a decision taken at the 2009 SI General Assembly following the success of Youth Awards offered to four young people attending the Servas Youth meeting in Britain in 2007. This was made possible by a legacy provided by a Servas member. Those young people made a significant contribution to the diversity of the event and returned home with a greater understanding of the global Servas community.

To reflect the spirit of Bob Lutweiler’s vision of Servas as a peace organisation focusing on ‘work, study, travel’, the young people were encouraged to also take up opportunities made possible through the Servas network. Their extended stays included work and study experiences, building on language skills and volunteering in social and environmental projects.

Several years on those who benefited from the youth awards continue as committed Servas members:

In Mexico one of the young people is a member of the national committee and supports Servas Youth Language Experiences. Whilst in Europe he pursued his interest in alternative technology, so opening up new directions in a career in that field.

The young person from Turkey acted as  link with the youth meeting held in her own country the following year and continues as an active member of her national group.

The young person from Venezuela spent several months as a volunteer in an asylum-seekers project in Britain. Following the suggestion of a Servas host, she then took a masters course in conflict resolution in Europe. Since returning to Venezuela she continues as a volunteer in social projects.  As well as being elected to the Servas Youth team between 2009 and 2012, she acted as interpreter at the 2009 and 2012 SI General Assemblies.

Another young person returned home to become a key person in Servas Uganda.  At the 2009 General Assembly he was a volunteer helper and later organised a successful African youth event in 2011. He is currently SI Area Coordinator for Africa.

Travel expenses provided through the Development Fund and other SI funding have assisted a number of other young people in emerging Servas groups to join in international events on equal terms with other young people.  Often it has made possible their first Servas traveller experiences to explore the world beyond their own country.

However it is unrealistic for the limited resources within Servas International to be the sole source of sponsorship for young people to participate in Servas activities. A permanent youth fund will give   both individual   members and national groups an opportunity to contribute to young people becoming active in Servas. 

Steps to setting up the Servas International Youth Fund

Early in 2014 a system will be in place to receive donations from individual members and national groups. Publicity will promote the fund and encourage a steady flow of donations. Once sufficient resources are available there will be an agreed process through which funds will be allocated to young people.  

In line with the 2009 GA decision the fund is to be located initially in the UK with a dedicated bank account managed by Servas Britain. This is whilst we research how best to set up a permanent trust fund either in the UK or elsewhere.

Based on experience from the first Youth Award, there will be a small advisory group of Servas members representative of regions worldwide.  It will be this group who will consider applications to the fund and decide on the allocation of grants from whatever resources are available. The aim will be to create a decision-making process which is both open and fair, reflecting the rich diversity within Servas. We will work towards developing criteria for how funds are allocated, initially referring to the criteria set out below which were used for deciding the first Youth Awards.

The success of the fund will clearly be dependent on how quickly resources can be built up through donations. A support group is to be formed, open to all those committed to promoting the fund and seeking donations, as well as encouraging young people to participate in the project.

If sufficient donations are received it is hoped that the first grants can be made to young people to attend the SI General Assembly in October 2015. Wide publicity across the Servas network will be important to be sure that any eligible young member has an opportunity to apply for a grant.

The focus will be on giving help to those active young Servas members who would not otherwise be able to participate in the international meeting. It is hoped that those benefiting from the fund will also consider extending their travels beyond attending the GA to include some work, study or volunteer experiences.  There will be an expectation that they continue to be involved in Servas after returning home.

Based on the progress in developing the fund it is anticipated that a proposal will be put to the 2015 GA to make possible the setting up of a permanent Servas International Youth Trust Fund.

Eligibility to apply to the fund                                                                                                                                                 We will initially rely on the following requirements used for the first Youth Award. A young person should be:  

• A member of Servas as a traveller, a host or part of a host family.
  

• Aged 18 to 30 at time of travel.
  

• A member of Servas for at least a year at the time of application.
  

• Recommended by their National Secretary.
  

• Open to disclosing if related to any Servas officer in their national group or SI although this would not exclude an application.
  

• Able to provide full and accurate information on their application form.
  

• Proficient enough in spoken and written English or another key language to be able to join in a Servas event.
  

• Committed to providing a written report of their Servas experiences on returning home.
  

Criteria for selection                                                                                                                                                                      Again experience from the first Youth Award will inform how criteria for selection are developed.                                                         Key issues to take into account when looking at applications include:

• How long has the young person been in Servas and how active are they in their national group?
  

• How enthusiastic are they about Servas and what it has to offer?
  

• What understanding can they show of the aims of Servas as a peace organisation and how committed are they to them?
  

• If work or study commitments allow, is the young person open to the idea of extending their travels beyond the Servas event to include work and language experience, study or volunteering as well as time with Servas hosts?
  

• Is it likely that the young person would be committed to continuing involvement in Servas after returning home and to contribute at a local, regional or international level?
  

• What previous opportunities has the young person had to travel outside their own country? Have these been limited because of lack of resources?
  

More information to follow about the next steps in setting up the fund.

Ann Greenhough                                                                                                                                                         SI Vice President                                                                                                                         February 2014             vicepresident@servas.org